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Ford v4 transit Engine oil question
thomas4age - 14/3/13 at 09:03 PM

Hi all it has been a whole sinds I was last here, so how have you all been?

My brother has bouwt a transit mk1 camper van which we'll pick up next saterday, the Engine runs very good but seems to have an oil leak.

I know from experience, Sylva striker with a ford kent, that when these older fords leak they leak hard... (If it doesn't leak it's not a ford kent, right?)

So I want to bring some oil with me, but what to pour in? I run 20w50 in my girls citroenHY, but ford was thinner iirc, would 15w40 do?

Grtz thomas

rusty nuts - 14/3/13 at 09:12 PM

Most old Fords used 20/50 IIRC

britishtrident - 14/3/13 at 09:35 PM

A Cologne or Essex v4 should be quite happy on a high detergent 10w/40 or 20w/50.
The Essex v4 was not a great engine but gave less trouble in the Transit, the Colonge engine was slightly better, I remember the joy when we lifted the bonnet on the the first Xflo engined Transit, but the Xflo was dropped afer a couple of years for the truly awful early Pinto.

mark chandler - 14/3/13 at 10:41 PM

Castrol GTX if you want to spoil i

Awful engine, not sure why the thought cutting two cylinders off a v6 was ever a good idea.

snapper - 15/3/13 at 06:54 AM

V4 fuel consumption of a V6 power of a 3 cylinder yuk
20w50 was all they he'd when the engine was new and being a little thicker will weep less

britishtrident - 15/3/13 at 08:13 AM

quote:
Originally posted by mark chandler
Castrol GTX if you want to spoil i

Awful engine, not sure why the thought cutting two cylinders off a v6 was ever a good idea.



The V4 was not great but better than the V6. The V6 had additional problems. The best thing I can say about both engines is they later version were better but that is true of just about any Ford engine.
One of the reason these engines were so lardy was at the early design stage diesel versions were planned but were knocked on the head when Ford US took full control of Ford GB in the early 1960's. This also the reason why the early Transit diesels had extended front panels to provide to accommodate the in-line 4 Perkins diesel.

Paul Turner - 15/3/13 at 05:38 PM

20w50 was the Ford spec back when these hideous engines were in production. Surprised there are any still around, 30,000 miles was the average life in a tranny back in the 60's and 70's.

You need to ensure the oil you use has ZDDP in it. Older cars need it otherwise cams and followers wear quickly. Modern oils don't contain it because its kills catalysts. Millers Classic Performance 20w50 is one such oil and its reasonably priced at about £27 for 5 litres. Halford do a Classic 20w50 but there is no mention in the spec that it contains ZDDP, from that I assume it doesn't. Halford oils are normally produced by Comma, they do a 20w50 classic and again there is no mention of ZDDP.

MikeRJ - 15/3/13 at 05:53 PM

I remember an article in PPC (Practical Performance Car) where they bought a tidy MK1 Transit in Germany and drove it back to the UK. They weren't impressed with the the old V4 engine, and the way they described how it ran makes me smile every time I remember it:

"the engine thrummed like a finely tuned boat anchor"

britishtrident - 15/3/13 at 06:15 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Paul Turner
20w50 was the Ford spec back when these hideous engines were in production. Surprised there are any still around, 30,000 miles was the average life in a tranny back in the 60's and 70's.

You need to ensure the oil you use has ZDDP in it. Older cars need it otherwise cams and followers wear quickly. Modern oils don't contain it because its kills catalysts. Millers Classic Performance 20w50 is one such oil and its reasonably priced at about £27 for 5 litres. Halford do a Classic 20w50 but there is no mention in the spec that it contains ZDDP, from that I assume it doesn't. Halford oils are normally produced by Comma, they do a 20w50 classic and again there is no mention of ZDDP.


We service a largish Transit fleet for the Scottish a major national company, they weren't great engines bur properly serviced these later engines lasted a lot longer than that.
The very early ones did self-destruct but that was down to the fibre timing wheels and head gaskets, the later timing wheels do wear weren't too bad compared to the early ones. Any big end problems were down to fibre timing wheels debris in the oil. The Cologne V4 was better still but it shares the timing wheel issue and is gutlless compared to the Essex unit.

All in all the later V4s were better van engines than the early Pintos with their cam shaft death rattle.

[Edited on 15/3/13 by britishtrident]

nick205 - 15/3/13 at 06:36 PM

So that'll need a Zetec conversion when you get it home then

thomas4age - 15/3/13 at 07:14 PM

Hi guy's thanx a lot for the awnsers,

The Engine runs very niceley on LPG I suspect the heads have been revised once. It's done 50k Miles. The engine can not be as bad as the one we have in the HY that's Truly horribel. That 1.6 38hp is pulling 2200+kgs.

I took a Can of 20w50 we use for the citroen H van normaly, and a bunch of tools. Hope's up for tommorow wish is luck!

And yes an Engine swap seems in order, but a zetec will probably not go in, he needs low down supple torque, so someting large, long stroke, and low Reving is in order.

Lets try and think someting up.... Subaru 2.5l boxer maybe?

Grtz thomas

[Edited on 15/3/13 by thomas4age]